Knee replacement in Turkey: what you should know before you book
A total knee replacement (total knee arthroplasty) replaces the worn surfaces of the knee joint with metal and polyethylene components. It is one of the most common operations in orthopaedics: the National Joint Registry (NJR) for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man records roughly 100,000 primary knee replacements a year. Most patients who travel to Turkey for it have osteoarthritis that no longer responds to painkillers, injections or physiotherapy, and face either a long NHS waiting list or a private price at home.
A knee replacement in Turkey is performed in full hospitals with an intensive-care unit and physiotherapists on the ward, with the same implant brands used in Europe and the US, at typically a third to a half of a private price in the UK or Germany. What is different is the logistics: you stay about 10 days, and the months of rehabilitation that decide the result happen at home, so that plan must be agreed before you fly. The hospitals and surgeons that perform the operation are listed on this page; a quote is free.
Total Knee Replacement in Turkey: how it works
- 1Send your photos and questions
Free and without obligation: tell us what you want to change and send a few photos — by form or WhatsApp.
- 2Get a written plan and price
A surgeon reviews your case and you receive a personal plan with the price, usually within 24 hours. Compare hospitals; nothing is paid in advance.
- 3Travel, surgery and aftercare
Airport pick-up, examination, surgery and check-ups in Istanbul, then follow-up with your surgeon after you fly home.
- Within about 2 hours
A coordinator replies in your language by WhatsApp or e-mail.
- Within 24 hours
A surgeon reviews your photos and you receive a written plan with the surgeon's name and the price.
- You decide
Ask anything and take your time — nothing is paid in advance.
Why plan Total Knee Replacement in Turkey with Treat Journey?
- Free for patients
Searching, comparing and requesting quotes costs nothing. You pay the hospital directly, at the price in your written quote — never a pre-payment to us.
- Real hospital prices, published
Every price on this page is the hospital's own price for international patients, shown live in your currency, with what the package includes.
- A named surgeon and a written plan
Your quote names the surgeon and the hospital and lists exactly what is included — no anonymous packages.
- Licensed hospitals only
We list licensed hospitals with an international patient department; accreditations such as JCI are shown on each hospital page.
- Honest reviews
We show real patient reviews, including Google reviews and critical ones, and we never invent ratings.
- Support before, during and after
A coordinator in your language answers within hours, arranges transfers and an interpreter, and stays in touch after you fly home.
How much is a knee replacement in Turkey?
The knee replacement cost in Turkey for international patients is usually about €6,000–€10,000 for one knee, depending on the hospital, the implant and the length of stay, and roughly €11,000–€17,000 for both knees in one trip — approximate ranges, confirmed in a written quote after the surgeon has seen your X-rays. The figures for other countries are typical private totals and vary widely.
| Country | Typical total price, one knee | What is usually included |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | about €6,000–€10,000 (approximate, confirmed in a written quote) | Surgeon and anaesthetist, implant, 4–6 nights in hospital, tests, medication, ward physiotherapy, transfers, interpreter; hotel nights often included |
| United Kingdom (private) | about £12,000–£17,000 | Surgeon, anaesthetist, implant, hospital stay; physiotherapy after discharge often extra |
| United States | about $30,000–$50,000 | Surgeon, anaesthesia, implant and facility fees, often billed separately |
| Germany (self-pay) | about €12,000–€18,000 | Surgeon, implant, hospital stay; inpatient rehabilitation separate |
What changes the price: the implant (cemented standard versus cementless or patient-specific), robotic-assisted surgery, a revision knee replacement, extra hospital nights for patients with other conditions, and whether a hotel is included. The written quote should name the implant brand and model and list hospital nights, tests, medication including blood-thinning injections for the trip home, ward physiotherapy, transfers and the interpreter; flights, a companion, extra nights and treatment of a complication are often not included. You pay the hospital directly on arrival (see how it works).
Knee replacement abroad instead of the NHS waiting list
In England the NHS standard is that treatment should start within 18 weeks of referral. For trauma and orthopaedics many patients wait considerably longer, and the published NHS waiting-time figures show the orthopaedic list to be among the largest in the system. The NHS does not reimburse an operation you choose to have in Turkey: a knee replacement abroad is a private decision paid from your own pocket, and you stay on the NHS list until you cancel.
What the NHS does provide is care afterwards: your GP, wound checks and NHS physiotherapy. Tell your GP before you travel and bring back the operation report, the discharge summary and the implant stickers (brand, model, lot numbers) — the NJR cannot record an implant placed outside the UK, so your own copy is the only record.
Who is a candidate for a total knee replacement?
The usual reason is osteoarthritis with daily pain, pain at night, stiffness and a limp that limit walking and sleep despite painkillers, physiotherapy and often an injection; rheumatoid arthritis, an old fracture and osteonecrosis are other reasons. The X-ray must show that the cartilage is worn away — a painful knee with mild changes on X-ray is not a reason for a replacement, and a knee arthroscopy does not help osteoarthritis.
Before you travel, diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease should be assessed by your own doctor, any infection (teeth, skin, bladder) treated, and your weight accepted by the surgeon — a very high body-mass index raises the infection risk. Smokers should stop, and a pause in blood thinners is planned with the prescribing doctor. If nobody can help you at home in the first two weeks, add an orthopaedic rehabilitation stay before the flight.
Total, partial or robotic: types of knee replacement
| Type | Who it suits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total knee replacement | Arthritis in more than one compartment — the large majority of patients | Femoral and tibial components with a polyethylene insert, sometimes a patella button; cemented or cementless |
| Partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement | Arthritis confined to the inner or outer compartment, ligaments intact | Smaller operation, faster recovery, more natural feel; higher revision rate than total replacement in registry data |
| Robotic-assisted knee replacement | Patients whose surgeon plans and cuts with a robotic system | More precise alignment on imaging; long-term advantage over conventional surgery not yet shown in registry data; higher price |
For younger patients with arthritis on one side of the knee a tibial osteotomy keeps the natural joint; injections such as stem-cell treatment may ease symptoms for a time but do not replace worn cartilage.
How total knee replacement is performed
The operation takes about one to two hours under spinal or general anaesthesia. Through an incision over the front of the knee the worn ends of the thigh and shin bones are removed with guided cuts, the components are fitted and usually cemented, and the underside of the kneecap is resurfaced if needed. Antibiotics are given before the incision, a nerve block controls pain, you stand with a frame on the day of surgery or the next morning, and blood-thinning medication is given for several weeks.
Your knee replacement trip to Turkey: about 10 days
- Before you fly: send recent standing X-rays, your medicines and any blood results; the surgeon confirms the operation, the implant and the written price.
- Day 1: arrival, examination by the surgeon and anaesthetist, blood tests, ECG, chest X-ray, signed plan.
- Day 2: surgery in the morning; first steps with a frame the same afternoon or next day.
- Days 3–6: daily ward physiotherapy, wound checks, frame then crutches, stairs; discharge to the hotel on day 5 or 6.
- Days 7–10: short walks several times a day, the exercise programme, a final check, X-ray and documents.
- Days 10–12: flight home once the surgeon clears you: aisle seat, a walk every hour, compression stockings, blood thinners as prescribed (see flying after surgery). Travel with a companion — in the first two weeks you need help with washing, shoes and stairs.
Knee replacement recovery time and rehab at home
- Weeks 1–2: walking indoors with crutches, exercises three times a day, ice and elevation, the wound checked at your GP practice around day 12–14; a swollen, warm knee for several weeks is normal.
- Weeks 3–6: outdoor walking, one crutch then none, driving once you can do an emergency stop (about six weeks for the right knee); physiotherapy twice a week for full extension and at least 90–110 degrees of bending.
- Months 2–3: office work, swimming, static cycling; most patients walk without a limp.
- Months 6–12: swelling settles and strength returns; the final result is judged at about a year. Walking, cycling, swimming and golf are encouraged; running and contact sports wear the implant.
Follow-up is by video call and your own X-rays sent through the hospital's international patient team at six weeks, three months and a year. A fever, a leaking wound, a painful swollen calf or sudden breathlessness are signs of infection or a blood clot: go to an emergency department at once.
Risks of knee replacement and how long the implant lasts
- Deep infection of the joint occurs in about 1 in 100 patients in registry and NHS data and may need further surgery, including removal of the implant; good blood-sugar control and no skin infection lower the risk.
- Blood clots: with early walking, blood-thinning medication and compression, a symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism occurs in roughly 1–2 in 100 patients; the long flight home makes the prevention routine more important.
- Stiffness or persistent pain: patient-reported outcome studies, including NHS PROMs data, consistently find that around one in five patients report some ongoing pain or dissatisfaction after a knee replacement, even after a technically good operation.
- Other: bleeding, nerve or vessel injury (rare), fracture around the implant, loosening and wear over the years, and the risks of anaesthesia.
How long it lasts: a 2019 analysis in The Lancet of pooled national joint registry data, including the NJR, estimated that about 82 per cent of total knee replacements are still in place 25 years after surgery. The NJR's annual reports give revision rates by implant; an implant with a long registry record is a safer choice than a new design.
How to choose a hospital for knee replacement in Turkey
- A full hospital with an intensive-care unit and 24-hour medical cover; the hospitals on our site hold Ministry of Health licences and several are JCI-accredited.
- An orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in joint replacement: ask how many knee replacements they do a year, which implants they use, and their name before you book.
- The implant in writing on the quote, and the implant stickers after surgery.
- Ward physiotherapy, a written home programme in English and someone who answers questions after you are home.
- Clear rules for complications: who treats an infection or a stiff knee after you return, and who pays for a second trip.
Red flags: a price far below the range above, no surgeon's name until arrival, a stay of under a week, no blood-clot prevention for the flight, and promises of a "pain-free" knee. See our guides on choosing a safe surgeon in Turkey and insurance for surgery abroad (standard travel insurance excludes planned surgery), the joint replacement category, hip replacement and the orthopaedics hub.
Frequently asked questions
For international patients a total knee replacement in Turkey usually costs about €6,000–€10,000 for one knee and about €11,000–€17,000 for both, including the implant, the hospital stay and ward physiotherapy. These are approximate ranges; the exact price is confirmed in a written quote after the surgeon has seen your X-rays.
A private total knee replacement in the UK typically costs about £12,000–£17,000, with physiotherapy after discharge often charged separately. In the US the total is usually $30,000–$50,000, and in Germany self-paying patients pay roughly €12,000–€18,000.
The risks — infection, blood clots, stiffness — are the same in every country; what matters is the hospital and surgeon. Choose a licensed full hospital with an intensive-care unit, an orthopaedic surgeon who performs joint replacement regularly, a named implant with a registry track record, and a written plan for blood-clot prevention on the flight home.
Plan about 10–12 days: 4–6 nights in hospital, then a few days in a hotel with daily walking and exercises, a final check and an X-ray before the surgeon clears you to fly.
Yes, as a private patient paying yourself; the NHS does not reimburse an operation chosen abroad. Many patients do this because the 18-week standard is not met for orthopaedic waiting lists. After you return, your GP and NHS physiotherapy can look after you as after any surgery; bring the operation report and the implant details with you.
Most patients walk with crutches for two to four weeks, drive after about six weeks, return to office work after six to eight weeks and judge the final result at around a year. Daily exercises for the first three months are the biggest factor in how well the knee bends and how quickly the pain goes.
A 2019 Lancet analysis of national joint registry data estimated that about 82 per cent of total knee replacements are still in place after 25 years. The lifetime depends on the implant, the patient's weight and activity and the quality of the surgery; the NJR publishes revision rates by implant.
A partial (unicompartmental) replacement suits patients whose arthritis is confined to one side of the knee with intact ligaments: a smaller operation with a quicker recovery, but registry data show a higher revision rate than total replacement. For arthritis in several compartments a total knee replacement is the standard operation.
Yes, for fit patients: both in one anaesthetic or a few days apart. The hospital stay is longer and rehabilitation is harder in the first weeks; your surgeon and anaesthetist decide whether your heart and general health allow it.
Usually 10–12 days after surgery, once the wound is dry, you walk safely with crutches and the surgeon has checked an X-ray. Walk every hour in flight, wear compression stockings and take the blood-thinning medication prescribed for the weeks after surgery.